New 3DS Models Announced – Update

UPDATE: Nintendo has confirmed that the new models will be region locked, which means you won’t be able to buy one in Japan and then use it to play games purchased in North America. This shouldn’t come as too big a surprise given that Nintendo does this with most of their platforms, although some fans have probably thought about doing it anyway.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Handheld gaming is getting better, because Nintendo has unveiled the latest 3Ds and 3DS XL models.

The best new feature is that they both have a second analogue thumb stick built in, which makes the cumbersome Circle Pad Pro obsolete. Known as the C-Button, this will give players better control of first-person games, and is something that fans have been wanting for years. There’s also new shoulder buttons, a faster CPU, a micro USB slot, and an improved display that Nintendo says will offer better 3D visuals when viewed from different angles.

Another big feature is that both 3DS models will have built-in NFC technology, which means they’ll work with Nintendo’s upcoming Amiibo toys. They’re Skylanders-style figures that you buy in stores, which will unlock new in-game content across multiple Wii U and 3DS games. You can watch our chat with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime about the Amiibo toys by clicking here.

The new 3DS and 3DS XL will hit Japan in October, with a North American release expected for next year. They can’t get here soon enough, because Nintendo has also announced that a new version of Xenoblade Chronicles, originally released on the Wii in 2010, is being built for the new models. They say they wanted to bring it to the original 3DS, but the CPU power was lacking, and the second thumb stick will also be a big help. It will not be playable on the older 3DS models.

– Then a year later they release the 3DSXL, something that should have been released in the first place but the screwballs at Nintendo thought they’d get in on this new-age SCAM that the Apple iPhone ushered in, where they release the same identical product with minor little tweaks so the companies can sucker their idiot consumers into to buying their crap every year

– Then they realize, “Wow, nobody is buying anything from our worthless company because the technological world keeps moving forward while we stay trapped in the early 90’s…” so they come out with the CirclePad Pro (something that should have been included in the first place if they wanted a single drop of 3rd party support)

– And now they’ve totally redesigned the 3DS so that it comes with all this crap 4 years later, after their company totally bombed and nobody wants anything to do with them (unless you’re 4 years old)?

This is the most obvious SCAM on the face of the Earth, “Yes morons, keep coming back year after year to buy our slightly altered machines, even though there’s nothing to play on them (1 game per year on average). Instead of investing in developers & video games, we at Nintendo have invested in corporate bean-counters & ways to screw over the general public by reselling them the exact same machine over & over!” Those Amibo toys are the stupidest things I’ve ever seen in my life, this ain’t Japan Reggie. Keep that crap on the other side of the ocean. After the amount of radiation Japan has seen over the years, I’m not surprised that they buy into this garbage. You people at Nintendo must think the general public is EXTREMELY stupid if you keep on pulling this trash year after year. “No no, Super Smash Bros & Hyrule Warriors are gonna change the world, just wait!” Oh my god, if you believe that then you deserve to have Nintendo’s marketing trap sprung on you.

It’s quite clear that Nintendo is beyond out of touch with what people want, and have been for a very long time (easily since the GameCube). The Wii was nothing more than a dust-collecting paper weight worldwide, once every poor sucker who bought it found out how pathetically useless/inaccurate/stupid it really was after playing it for a week. Nintendo is obviously following that trend with the Wii U, and the 3DS is their version of an Apple iPhone.

Don’t buy anything from Nintendo, let those clowns burn. If you have kids, get them a PS4 or at the very least a XBONE, because Nintendo is literally gonna stunt your kids’ brain development and make them stupid.

Jean-Marc Therrien

It isn’t different than what Sony did with the Vita or what Apple is doing with the Iphone, Ipad and Ipod devices. Btw the 3DS is the best selling handheld system ever so by upgrading it they’re just making sure it’ll stay competitive. Plus it’s all upgrades people wanted for a while so it’s a guaranteed profit for them and for gamers this mean a more powerfull system with better controls and 3D support. It’s a win-win.

Need1eBanger .

I realize all of that. Not much of a win-win for the consumers who bought an original 3DS and still only have 2 or 3 good games to play on the thing after 4 years. Instead of investing resources in games to play, Nintendo wastes time on re-releasing the same product over & over while their customer base gets thinner & thinner. They are one stupid company.